When I wondered out loud about how much spices could really matter — weren’t they a mere flourish after the difficult work of cooking was completed? — Lev Sercarz invited me for a demonstration in his home kitchen. There, he seared filet mignon coated with Pierre Poivre (La Boîte Blend No. 7, with eight varieties of pepper); imagine an IMAX version of steak au poivre, the meat tasting the way neon looks. Then he did the same with Kibbeh (Blend No. 15, mostly cumin, garlic and parsley), and I could have sworn I was eating lamb: the mild tenderloin had turned gamy. That’s cumin, Lev Sercarz explained, which the palate tends to associate with lamb. Next he cooked a cube of salmon in olive oil infused with Ararat (Blend No. 35, with smoked paprika, Urfa chilies and fenugreek leaves), transforming it into something I would have guessed, with eyes closed, to be pork belly. That, he said, was the smoke. Spices, I was learning, not only behave as intensifiers and complicators but also, in the right hands, can redraw the boundaries of flavor and confound the brain. For the finale, Lev Sercarz dropped a pinch of Mishmish (Blend No. 33, with crystallized honey, lemon zest and saffron) into the bottom of a glass and covered it with an inch of lager. The bitterness and hoppy flavors were gone — the beer smelled and tasted like a gingerbread milkshake.

A small gift for you to celebrate spices… my Sugar-Free Italian Sausage Seasoning recipe from Well Fed. Mange!

Comments

Magic is the right word. It describes the first time I had tandoori chicken way back in college. One could call me a flavor virgin. I recently made a meatloaf with your ras el hanout blend. It smelled good in the jar, but once it hit the pan of veggies it was amazing. Now I get to have it every day for lunch. Recipes for spice blends is incredibly helpful for spice newbies like me. Thank you muchly! Love your book.

I’m originally from Austin but currently live in Bend, Oregon, and we have a Savory Spice Shop here… and I honestly have never been in it! It just kinda looked like an overpriced place with nothing special (it’s near some uppity, high-end shops), but now that you mention it, I’m totally going to have to check it out. Thanks for the $.02 there!

And I LOVE your cookbook (been doing Paleo for about two months now); so very thankful for it.

I used your Ras el Hanout on pork cops the other night and they were spectacular. I just dropped $25 at Savory in Boulder today. I told the guy about Michelle’s Magic Mushroom powder and he steered me to an herbes de duxelles blend that I can’t wait to try. I got cantanzaro salt blend, star anise pieces, a peruvian chili lime blend, some honey powder, and some other basics. I can’t wait to try them all. It’s been a spicy day! Thanks for the post.

Got Well Fed as part of the Primal Life Kit and almost immediately decided I also needed a hard copy of this book because if one is FANTASTIC then two can only be better! I plan to cook my way through both of them!

Spices…adding to my stockpile almost daily thanks to you. I made Chocolate Chili & Citrus Carnitas yesterday and my house smelled like pure heaven all day. I never did actually eat dinner, just stood there picking out of both pots like some sort of addict.

Spices … YAY! And you are the Queen of Spices. The mix that goes on “The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat” from “Well Fed” has revolutionized cooking for me. (It’s also fab on salmon). Gone are the days when when I thought adding pepper in addition to salt was being adventurous. Cumin rocks! (What a great t-shirt that would make). Eagerly awaiting the new “Well Fed” cookbook …

I saw the Times article and immediately thought of Ras el Hanout and Well Fed. I love the cookbook because it is making me more adventurous with spices I already like. Last week while sauteing the almonds for the green beans recipe, I added cinnamon and loved the result. I also used shallots instead of onion, which added a new flavor. Can’t wait for Well Fed 2.

I’m over 4 mos pregnant and just left the “I hate meat” phase that some pregnant women enter (WHY, Mama Nature?! WHY?! That is SO horrible to do to a Paleo lady!!) and celebrated a return to normal foods with your Egg Foo Young and spicy sauce for dinner last night. Leftovers are lunch today and I am SO excited!! You really do master spices like I’ve never seen. Can’t WAIT to snap up Well Fed 2!! Thank you!

I think spice blends are an easy way to play around — which is why I like Penzeys so much. They have very good descriptions on their site, so you can imagine how the blends will taste before trying them, and they always have recipe ideas, too.

The other way to explore is to pick ethnic food you like and use the spices in those foods. For example, I know I like Middle Eastern a lot (A LOT!), so I use cumin, parsley, lemon, mint…

Hi- i’m fairly new to paleo and have tried many of your recipes from WellFed. Your Rogan Josh recipe lists all the spices. Penzy’s sells it already combined. So, how much of the Penzys spice should I use if makng your recipe? Thanks in advance – can’t wait to try another new one!!

I seasoned ground turkey meat with the italian sausage seasoning…added some red/green peppers and red onion. OMG!!!!! Tastes better than any italian sausage I’ve had. I like how I didn’t have to feel guilty about it or feel like I was eating a crap ton of sodium. I added some more fennel and red pepper just off personal preference. I’m so loving Well Fed. I ordered Well Fed 2 the other day and cant wait for it to arrive. You are everything to me right now Melissa lol

I made this seasoning and added it to ground pork. I mixed that in with spaghetti sauce and served it up with some zoodles. The spice is so perfect! It’s so hard to find SF sausage, this is a life saver! Thanks Mel!